The Spirit Of Rock ‘n’ Roll Runs Through Cleveland

Traffic started pouring in for the Cleveland’s inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Half-Marathon as early as 6 a.m. I peered out of my sixth-story downtown apartment to see a line of glowing lights moving slowly up East Ninth. A cup of coffee and bowl of oatmeal later, I started my jaunt to the starting line located appropriately enough in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

7,000 runners with 15,000 spectators were expected. Arriving just 10 or so minutes before the 8 a.m. start, it seemed I was one of the last to join the party. Squirming my way from the fifth corral to the front of the third, I took in the energy of the crowd that was clearly feeding off the rock ‘n’ roll music blaring from the starting line stage. Right on time, a rarity in my racing experience, the race kicked off to thunderous applause and chants of “Cleveland rocks!”

About Me

Welcome to Without A Path, the place for all things off the beaten path travel and experiences around the globe. I'm Joe Baur, a travel author (Talking Tico), filmmaker, podcaster, and photographer, sharing my experiences and expert advice on how to travel like a local from Rome to El Salvador complete with recommendations on language learning, books, movies and even podcasts. When I'm not writing here, I'm the host of the Without A Path travel podcast, co-host of Beyond Borders, and editor of trivago Magazine. Have questions? Send an email. Otherwise, happy scrolling. Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Email // Press